TANZANIA Mainland soccer team, Kilimanjaro Stars, arrived in Nairobi yesterday ready for the 33rd Orange Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup kicking off tomorrow.

The Stars' 26-man contingent led by Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) first vice-president Athumani Nyamlani, flew to Nairobi aboard a Kenya Airways flight yesterday morning.

Reports from the Kenyan capital said the team landed safely at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport enroute to Mumias where they will play their Group C matches against Zanzibar, Burundi and defending champions Uganda.

Kilimanjaro Stars launch their campaign by facing Uganda Cranes on Sunday.

Zanzibar left for Nairobi by road on Tuesday in an upbeat mood and were also reported to have arrived there safely. They, too, play their first match against Burundi on Sunday.

Kili Stars' Brazilian coach Marcio Maximo assured Tanzanians on Wednesday that they were going to Kenya to compete and not to just participate.

He also said they were aiming at faring better than last year in Uganda where they finished third. Hosts Uganda emerged champions while Kenya settled for the runners-up slot.

"My boys will do everything possible to bring smiles on the faces of Tanzanian soccer lovers who have been deprived of joy," Maximo assured Deputy Minister for Defence and National Service Emmanuel Nchimbi at a brief send-off party.

Apart from Nyamlani and Maximo, other officials in the entourage are manager Leopold 'Tasso' Mukebezi, assistant coach Rodrigo Stockler, physician Juma Sufiani, and kit manager Fred Chimela.

The players are Shaaban Hassan 'Kado', Muharami Mohammed, Erasto Nyoni, Kelvin Yondani, Salum Swed, Juma Jabu, Shadrack Nsajigwa, David Naftali, Ibrahim Mwaipopo and Shaaban Nditi.

Others are Nurdin Bakari, Mwinyi Kazimoto, Kigi Makasi, Juma Said Nyoso, Henry Joseph, Mussa Hassan 'Mgosi', Mrisho Ngassa, Jerson Tegete, Danny Mrwanda and John Bocco.

Meanwhile, a day after Croatian Branko Tucak was relieved of his duties as the Rwandan head coach, Eric Nshimiyimana has been tasked to manage Amavubi Stars at the Cecafa Challenge Cup in Kenya.

Nshimiyimana, who was part of the Amavubi team that qualified Rwanda to their first and only Nations Cup finals in 2004, will be helped by Atraco's assistant coach Emmanuel Ruremesha.

Nshimiyimana, who is also the head coach of AS Kigali, had been Tucak's assistant in the 2010 World Cup/African Nations Cup campaign.

Rwanda won the regional title once in 1999 when the side fielded two teams at home soil, Rwanda A and Rwanda B, and it was the latter that triumphed, beating Kenya 3-1 in the final game.

Amavubi are drawn in Group B alongside Somalia, Eritrea and Cosafa champions Zimbabwe.

Group A comprises of hosts Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan.